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Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan listen (help·info)); (5 September 1888 – 17 April 1975) was an Indian philosopher and statesman[1]who was the first Vice-President of India (1952–1962) and the second President of India from 1962 to 1967.[web 1] One of India’s best and most influential twentieth-century scholars of comparative religion and ph […]

Day: October 9, 2010

Written byAdhi Sankara Bhagawat Pada.Translated byP.R.RamachanderMouna Vyakhya prakatitha, para,Brahma thathwam yuvanam,Varshishtha anthevasad rishiganai,Ravrutham brahma nishtai,Acharyendram kara kalihtha chin,Mudram ananda roopam,Swathmaramam mudhitha vadanam,Dakshinamurthim eede.(I praise and salute that Dakshinamrthy,Who faces the south,Who explains the true nature of the supreme Brahman,Through his state of silence,Who is young in looks,Who is surrounded by disciples who are old Sages,Whose minds are fixed on Brahman,Who is the greatest of teachers,Who shows the Chinmudhra* by his hand,Who is personification of happiness,Who is in the state of extreme joy within himself,And who has a smiling face.)

*He joins the edge of the thumb and first finger, which indicates that God and soul are one. This is called Chinmudhra.” Chinmudra denotes the identity of the individual soul and the supreme Self or Brahman. God is the Brahman associated with Maya. The identity is between the individual soul or self (jivatma) and the supreme self (paramatma) and not God.”Viswam darpana drusyamana nagari,Thulyam nijantargatham,Pasyannathmani mayaya bahirivoth,Bhutham yatha nidraya,Ya sakshath kuruthe prabodha samaye,Swathmanameva dwayam,Thasmai sri guru murthaye nama idham,Sree Dakshinamurthaye. 2(Similar to the image of a town as seen in the mirror,When one sees the image of the world within him,The world appears as if it is outside.It is similar to his seeing due to illusion,During the state of sleep,That the one real fact appears as many different truths,And he realizes ,when he wakes up and sees the reality,That he is really the one and only one soul.Salutation to the God facing the south,Who is the greatest teacher. )The above stanza tells us that the world which is outside us is same as our soul but we see them as different entities due to the veil of ignorance. As soon as we wake up, we realize that the dream is false and even while seeing our image in the mirror, we know that we are not seeing us in the mirror but our image. When we get knowledge from the guru we are in the wakeful state without the veil of ignorance.Beejasyanthari vankuro jagadhidham,Prang nirvikalpam puna,Mayakalpitha desa kala kalanaa,Vaichithrya chithrikrutham,Mayaveeva vijrumbhayathyapi maha,Yogeeva yah swechaya,Thasmai sri guru murthaye nama idham,Sree dakshinamurthaye. 3Like the germ inside the seed is its part ,But becomes different after developmentThe many places and time which are before us ,Are drawn by illusion in the board of life in a peculiar manner,By a great savant or an expert Siddha,Who can create them as per their will,Salutation to the God facing the south,Who is the greatest teacher.When the net of illusion is lifted and when we reach the stage of manifestation,

we would find that what we think as different is but one and the same.Yasyaiva sphuranam sadathmakamasath,Kalparthagam bhasathe,Sakshaath thathwamaseethi veda vachasa,Yobodhyathyasrithhan,Yath saksht karanath bhavenna punara,Aavrithir bhavambhonidhow,Thasmai sri guru murthaye nama idham,Sree dakshinamurthaye. 4He who exists as the real light of truth,And shines in the false world of appearance,And He who teaches disciples the great saying,“Thou art that” after realizing its import,Gets away from this cycle of life and death.Salutation to the God facing the south,Who is the greatest teacher.“That Thou Art is the famous Grand Pronouncement (mahA-vAkya) found in the Chandogya-Upanishad of the Sama Veda, meted out by AruNi to Svetaketu. It is repeated nine times to him and explained nine times. It is not supposed to be a casual statement. It is the summum bonum of all Upanishadic teaching. It says: That brahman which is the common Reality behind everything in the cosmos is the same as the essential Divinity, namely the Atman or the Self, within you.” This realization which is extremely difficult to achieve makes you understand that you are in fact this absolute reality called “Brahman”.Nanachidhra ghato dhara sthitha maha,Deepa prabha bhaswaram,Jnanam yasya thu chakshuradhi karana,Dwara bahi spandathe,Jaanameethi tham eva baandham anubathi,Yethath samastham jagat,Thasmai sri guru murthaye nama idham,Sree dakshinamurthaye. 5Like the light emanating from a lamp,Kept in a pot with many holes,Goes out in all directions,In the person in whom the wisdom goes outThrough the openings of ear , eye , mouth and thought,And when that person realizes that ‘I know myself”,This whole universe shines after Him alone ,Who shines in the consciousness as the knower.Salutation to the God facing the south,Who is the greatest teacher.

Our body prevents us from seeing the truth(the light from outside) that we are the Brahman and lets out light though the sensory organs and makes us deceive ourselves by feeling that we are happy. This simile of a pot with holes for the body occurs in many places in Indian philosophy.Deham pranam api indryanyapi chalaam,Budhim cha soonyam vidhu,Stree balandha jadopamasthvaha mithi,Brandha brusam vadhina,Maya sakthi vilasa kalpitha maha,Vyamoha samharine,Thasmai sri guru murthaye nama idham,Sree dakshinamurthaye. 6(Those great philosophers , who think that,The body , the soul and the fickle intellect,The concept of emptiness and all other nothingness,Are nothing but themselves,Are similar to the women children , blind and the ignorant.It is only He who can destroy, this veil of ignorance,And wake us up from this state of deceit.Salutation to the God facing the south,Who is the greatest teacher. )This is a sample of the approach of negation in identifying the truth about the concept of self. Senses, the body etc cannot be the absolute truth as they are transient.Rahu grastha divakarendu sadrusho,Maya samachadanath,Sanamthra karanopa samharanatho,Yo abhoot sushuptha pumaan,Pragaswapsaamithi prabodha samaye,Yaa prathyabignayathe,Thasmai sri guru murthaye nama idham,Sree dakshinamurthaye. 7(Similar to the Sun when being masked by the serpent Rahu,Knows that it was existing , once the eclipse is overThat man whose senses are suppressedWhen he is asleep,Because of the veil of illusion,Realizes that he was in the state of sleep,When he wakes up.Salutation to the God facing the south,Who is the greatest teacher. )Similar the sun existing even when there is eclipse, we exist when we are sleeping.

This is denial of the Buddhist theory that , when we are asleep there is nothingness.Balyadishwapi jagaradhadishu thadha,Sarva sva avasthasthaswapi,Vyavrutha swanuvarthamanamaha ,Mithyanth sphurantham sada,Svathmaanam pragatikarothi bajatham,Yo mudraya bhadraya,Thasmai sri guru murthaye nama idham,Sree dakshinamurthaye. 8(Salutations to him who shines and exhibits,Himself by the beatific Chinmudhra of the hand,That he exists within the humans as self,Forever and non changing,Even during the changing states of childhood , youth and old ageAnd even during the states of sleep, dream and wakefulness.Salutation to the God facing the south,Who is the greatest teacher. )The truth as represented by the concept of Brahman, exists always.Viswam pasyathi karya karana thaya,Swa swami sambandatha,Sishyacharya thaya thadaiva pithru,Puthradhyathmana bedatha,Swapne Jagrathi va ya esha purusho,Maya Paribramitha,Thasmai sri guru murthaye nama idham,Sree dakshinamurthaye. 9

(The world sees as cause and effect,The differences between us and our lord,The distinction between teacher and the taught,The distinction between father and son,And so the man is confused by illusion,And believes in these differences,During the times of dream and wakefulness.Salutation to the God facing the south,Who is the greatest teacher. )

The ignorance of the truth because of the veil of ignorance Maya is reemphasized.

To the sake of which supreme Brahman,The universe is shining as self ,Which is Movable and immovable , with its aspects?Of water , fire, air, space,The sun, moon and the individual soul ,And also to those who examine the truth behind ,The meaning of this universe and find ,That it Consists of nothing but,The God who is every where.Salutation to the God facing the south,Who is the greatest teacher.

The concept of the Athma,Which is explained in this poem of praise,Hearing which , understanding which,Meditating which and singing which,One would attain the state of the godliness,And the great state of self realization,And also you would get the eight powers of occult ,Without any problems in between.

Appendix:The following three stanzas as well as the first stanza are chanted after the main stotra:-

(To the Hari who wears supreme happiness as Ornament,The Goddess Lakshmi is attracted,Like the black bees getting attracted,To the unopened buds of black Tamala,tree,Let her who is the Goddess of all good things,Grant me a glance that will bring prosperity. )Kanaka LakshmiLakshmi is the Goddess of wealth.Adhi Sankara as a boy addressed her in this form to bless a poor Brahmin widow with wealth. “ Kanaka” means Gold,

(To the Hari who wears supreme happiness as Ornament,The Goddess Lakshmi is attracted,Like the black bees getting attracted,To the unopened buds of black Tamala tree,Let her who is the Goddess of all good things,Grant me a glance that will bring prosperity.)SaraswathiMother Goddess in the form of Goddess presiding over knowledge and education.She is the consort of Lord Brahma.Saraswathi Namasthubhyam, varade Kama roopini,Vidhyarambham karishyami, sidhir bhavathu me sada.(My salutations to Goddess Saraswathi,Who can take any form,Who is the bestower of all boons,And I start learning now,With the prayer to her,To make it very effective.)Yakundendu Thushara Hara Davalam, Ya shubra vastravrutham,Ya veena vara danda manditha kara, Ya shwetha padmasana,Ya brahmachyutha Sankara prbhruthibhi Daivai sada poojitha,Saa maam pathu saraswathi bhagawathi Nissesha jadyabaha.(My saluations to Goddess Saraswathi,Who is while like a Kunda flower,Who shines like the full moon,Who carries in her hand a Veena and a stick,Who is seated on the throne of white Lotus,Who is worshipped by the holy trinity,With a prayer to drive away all my slothfulness. )Durga She is the fearsome aspect of Goddess Parvathy and was created by her to fight against Shumbha and Nishumbha. She is popular among the entire length and breadth of India.The poor generally prefer to woship her.

Namasthe saranye Shive, saanukamhe,Namasthe Jagat vyapike viswa roope,Namasthe jagat vandhya padaravinde,Namasthe jagat dharini Trahi Durge,(Salutations to her who is the slave of peace ,And filled with compassion,Salutations to her who is spread all over the world,And who is of the form of universe,Salutations to her whose lotus feet,Are worshipped by all the world,Salutations to her who takes care of the world,Pease take care of me , Oh Durge.)

(Salutations to that Teacher.Who himself is the ultimate truth,Who is chief of all Gods.And who verily is the truth himself.)

(Salutations to that Teacher.Who himself is the ultimate truth,Who is chief of all Gods.And who verily is the truth himself.)

Stotras as soon as one wakes up:- A Hindu is supposed to wake uo very early in the morning much earlier to sun rise. It is believed that the first thing you see in the morning determines one’s day. As soon as one wakes up see he is supposed to see his palm and recite the following sloka:-

(Lakshmi lives in the tip of my palm,Saraswathi lives in its middle,And Gowri lives at its base,So I see my palm in the early morn.)Earth is a Goddess to Hindus.She is one of the wives of Maha Vishnu one of the trinity of Hinduism. So it is necessary to ask her pardon before one sets ones foot on her.This is done by the following prayer:-Samudhra vasane devi, parvatha sthana mandithe,Vishnu pathni namasthubhyam pada sparsam kshamasva mae.(Salutations to you consort of Lord Vishnu,Who is clothed by oceans,And is adorned prettily by the mountains,Pardon me mother, for setting my foot on you.)While taking BathCleanliness is a sin qua non-to every Hindu.He does purification of the body as well as the mind during his bath. Purificatory bath is ultimate if it is done in the sacred waters of some great rivers of India.The following prayers are recited while taking bath:-Govindethi sada snanam Govindethi sada japam,Govindethi sada dhyanam , sada Govinda keerthanam.

(Meditate on Govinda while taking bath,Meditate on him in your prayers,Meditate on him while thinking of God,And always sing his name.)

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(It is believed that Lord Shiva is the king of all dancers. He was an expert in the thandava style of dancing. This is a vigorous manly style of dancing. This stotra is about him while in the act of dancing. Alliteration and onomatopoeia create roiling waves of resounding beauty in this great stotra. This stotra which is so majestic was composed by none other than Ravana, the demon king, who ruled over Sri Lanka who was one of the great devotees of Lord Shiva. Once the proud Ravana conquered the entire India and approached Mount Kailas on top of which Lord Shiva resides with his consort Goddess Parvathi. Ravana called Lord Shiva to come down. When he did not, he uprooted the mountain with his twenty hands. This made Goddess Parvathi jittery. Then Lord Shiva pressed down the mountain with his thumb. Ravana was crushed by the weight of the mountain. There he praised Lord Shiva by singing the Sama Veda and this great stotra composed by him. Lord Shiva was pleased and pardoned him.)

(From the forest of his matted lock , water flows and wets his neck,On which hangs the greatest of snake like a garland,And his drum incessantly plays damat , damat, damat , damat,And Shiva is engaged in the very vigorous manly dance,To bless and shower, prosperity on all of us.)

(The celestial river agitatedly moving through his matted hair,Which makes his head shine with those soft waves,And his forehead shining like a brilliant fire-daga daga,And the crescent of moon which is an ornament to his head,Makes my mind love him each and every second.)

(The consort of the ever sportive daughter of the mountain,Whose mind rejoices at her side long glances,With the stream of merciful look which removes hardships,Makes my mind take pleasure in him who wears the directions as apparel).

(He, with the shining lustrous gem on the hoodOf the serpent entwining his matted locks,He, who is with his bride whose face is decoratedBy the melting of red saffron Kumkum,And He who wears on his shoulder the hideOf the elephant which was blind with ferociousness,Makes my mind happy and contented, In him who is the leader of Bhoothas*.can be taken to mean as souls ormythical beings guarding Kailasa.)

May he whose foot stool is decoratedBy the ever flowing flower dust.Falling the bent head of Indra and other Gods,And may He, whose matted locks are tied by the king of serpents,And may he , whose head is decoratedBy the crescent moon who a friend of Chakora*Shower prosperity for ever on me.* A mythical bird which lives by drinking moon light.)

(May he with the raging fireIn his forehead, who burnt the God of love,May He who is forever being saluted by king of devas,And may he who has collectedThe cool ambrosia like crescent moon on his head,And may he who wears the collection of skulls,Bless us to create wealth for us.)

(May He in whose dreadful forehead, fire burns “Dhahaga”, “Dhaga,”May He who burnt the one with five arrows* as an offering to fire,May He who is the only one who can write decorative lines,On the tip of the breasts of the daughter of the mountain,And May He with three eyes make mind enjoy in him.* The God of love)Naveena megha mandali nirudha durdharath sphurath,Kahoo niseedhi neethama prabhandha bandha kandhara,Nilimpa nirjari darsthanothu kruthi sindhura,Kala nidhana bandhura sriyam jagat durandhara. 8

(May He whose black neck is as darkAs several layers of new clouds,Packed closely on the night of the new moon.May He who wears the celestial river on his head,May He who killed the Gajasura with an elephant head,May He who is very handsome because of the crescent that he wears,And may he who carries the entire burden of the world,Bless us with all sorts of wealth .)

(I salute him, who shines with a black neckSimilar to the well opened blue lotus,On which all the temples depend for prayer,And him who destroyed God of love, the three cities,The worldly problems and yaga destroyers,And him who destroyed elephant faced Asura and also God of death.,)

(I salute him who is like the bee who drinks the sweetened honey ,That flows from the flower bunch of collection of arts of the Goddess,And him who destroyed God of love, the three cities,The worldly problems and yaga destroyers,And him who destroyed elephant faced Asura and also God of death.)

(Victory to the great Shiva , who has the fire burning in his forehead,Which is increased by the breath of the snake wandering in the sky,And to Him who dances to the changing tunes and fierce sound,Of Dhimi, dhimi, dhimi coming out the auspicious drum.)

(When will I be able to worship that eternal shiva,With a feeling of equanimity towards snake and a garland,Towards great gems and dirt or friends and enemies,Or Towards a blade of grass and lotus like eyes,Or emperor and ordinary men.)

(When will I live the life of pleasure , meditating on Shiva,Sitting near a hollow place near the celestial river Ganga,Releasing all my bad thoughts and with hands clasped above my head,After releasing all passion for the pretty women with shifting eyes?)

(This greater than the great prayer if read,Remembered, or recited daily by man,Will make him pure, eternal,And he would get devotion to Shiva leading him to salvation,For remembering Lord Shiva, is a sure method of removal of detachment.)

(He who sings this song composed by the ten headed one,At the end of every worship or ,Reads it after worship of Shiva on the Pradosha day ,Will get by the blessing of lord Shiva, chariots, elephants and horses,As well as the affectionate sight of god of wealth.)

(Sing and praise that lord of the Universe,Who is the Lord of the town of Benares,Who has the tufted hair made by waves of river Ganga,Who for ever has Gowri as ornament on his left side,Who is the friend of Lord Narayana ,And who destroyed the pride of the god of love.)

(Sing and praise that lord of the Universe,Who is the Lord of the town of Benares,Who is beyond the meaning of words,Who is the store house of several good qualities,Who has the lotus feet,Which is worshipped by Brahma, Vishnu and other Devas,And who keeps his better half on his left side.)

(Sing and praise that lord of the Universe,Who is the Lord of the town of Benares,Who is the lord of all beings,Who is having a body decorated by snakes,Who clothes himself with the skin of a tiger,Who is having matted hair,Who is having three eyes,And who holds trident , rope and goad ,And is the giver of boons.)

(Sing and praise that lord of the Universe,Who is the Lord of the town of Benares,Who shines with the crown decorated by moon,Who burnt the god of love by the fire of his eyes,And who wears king of snakes as an ear ring.)

(Sing and praise that lord of the Universe,Who is the Lord of the town of Benares,Who is like a lion to the pride called elephant,Who is like Garuda the king of birds to the snake like asuras,And who is like the forest fire that swallows sorrow, death and old age.)

(Sing and praise that lord of the Universe,Who is the Lord of the town of Benares,Who has a glittering mien ,Who is the first among those with and without shape,Who is the reason for happiness in this world,Who is never defeated,Who is beyond the subject of reasoning,Who is the soul of all serpents,And who has a soul which is both pure and mixed.)

(Sing and praise that lord of the Universe,Who is the Lord of the town of Benares,And Sing of him who is in the middle of your lotus like heart,When it is bereft of all desires and nature of finding fault,When it is not attached to the sinful acts,And when it is parked in the deep meditation of Samadhi.)

(Sing and praise that lord of the Universe,Who is the Lord of the town of Benares,Who does not have faults like passion,Who loves good people,Who is the home of detachment and peace,Who is helped by the daughter of the mountain,Who has a pleasing form, full of sweetness and courage,And wears the strongest poison.)Phala Sruthi.

That man who reads this octet with its meaning,Which sings the praise of Siva who is the lord of Varanasi,Would get knowledge, wealth, great pleasure and great fame,And in the end also attain salvation.

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Bhavani Ashtakam: “Bhavani AshtakamAn Octet to the “Giver of Life”By,(Adhi Sankara Bhagwat Pada)Translated By,P.R.Ramachander(This great Sthothra by Adhi Sankara would move any one who reads it to tears. If a great soul like Him, had to describe himself, thus, Imagine the state of an ignoramus like any one of us.)Na thatho, na matha, na bandur na datha,Na puthro, na puthri , na bruthyo , na bartha,Na jayaa na Vidhya, na Vruthir mamaiva,Gathisthwam, Gathisthwam Thwam ekaa Bhavani.(Neither the mother nor the father,Neither the relation nor the friend,Neither the son nor the daughter,Neither the servant nor the husband,Neither the wife nor the knowledge,And neither my sole occupation,Are my refuges that I can depend, Oh, Bhavani,So you are my refuge and my only refuge, Bhavani. )Bhavabdhava pare , Maha dhukha Bheeru,Papaatha prakami , pralobhi pramatha,Kam samsara pasa prabadha sadaham,Gathisthwam, Gathisthwam thwam ekaa Bhavani.(I am in this ocean of birth and death,I am a coward, who dare not face sorrow,I am filled with lust and sin,I am filled with greed and desire,And tied I am, by the this useless life that I lead,So you are my refuge and my only refuge, Bhavani. )Na Janaami Dhanam, Na cha dhyana yogam,Na janami thathram, na cha sthothra manthram,Na janami poojam, na cha nyasa yogam,Gathisthwam, Gathisthwam thwam ekaa Bhavani(Neither do I know how to give,Nor do I know how to meditate,Neither do I know Thanthra*,Nor do I know stanzas of prayer,Neither do I know how to worship,Nor do I know the art of yoga,So you are my refuge and my only refuge, Bhavani)Na janami Punyam, Na janami theertham,Na janami mukthim, layam vaa kadachit,Na janami bhakthim, vrutham vaapi maatha,Gathisthwam, Gathisthwam, thwam ekaa Bhavani.(Know I not how to be righteous,Know I not the way to the places sacred,Know I not methods of salvation,Know I not how to merge my mind with God,Know I not the art of devotion,Know I not how to practice austerities, Oh, mother,So you are my refuge and my only refuge, Bhavani )Kukarmi, kusangi, kubudhi, kudhasa,Kulachara heena, kadhachara leena,Kudrushti, kuvakya prabandha, sadaham,Gathisthwam, Gathisthwam, thwam ekaa Bhavani.(Perform I bad actions,Keep I company of bad ones,Think I bad and sinful thoughts,Serve I Bad masters,Belong I to a bad family,Immersed I am in sinful acts,See I with bad intentions,Write I collection of bad words,Always and always,So you are my refuge and my only refuge, Bhavani.)Prajesam, Ramesam, Mahesam, Suresam,Dhinesam, Nisidheswaram vaa kadachit,Na janami chanyath sadaham saranye,Gathisthwam, Gathisthwam thwam ekaa Bhavani(Neither Do I know the creator,Nor the Lord of Lakshmi,Neither do I know the lord of all,Nor do I know the lord of devas,Neither do I know the God who makes the day,Nor the God who rules at night,Neither do I know any other Gods,Oh, Goddess to whom I bow always,So you are my refuge and my only refuge, Bhavani )Vivadhe, Vishadhe, pramadhe, pravase,Jale cha anale parvathe shatru madhye,Aranye, saranye sada maam prapahi,Gathisthwam, Gathisthwam, thwam ekaa Bhavani.(While I am in a heated argument,While I am immersed in sorrow,While I am suffering an accident,While I am travelling far off,While I am in water or fire,While I am on the top of a mountain,While I am surrounded by enemies,And while I am in a deep forest,Oh Goddess, I always bow before thee,So you are my refuge and my only refuge, Bhavani)Anadho, dharidro, jara roga yuktho,Maha Ksheena dheena, sada jaadya vakthra,Vipathou pravishta, pranshata sadhaham,Gathisthwam, Gathisthwam, thwam ekaa Bhavani.(While being an orphan,While being extremely poor,While affected by disease of old age,While I am terribly tired,While I am in a pitiable state,While I am being swallowed by problems,And While I suffer serious dangers,I always bow before thee,So you are my refuge and only refuge, Bhavani

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Rudhrashtakam(Octet on Rudhra)Composed byGoswami Thulasi DasTranslated byP.R.Ramachander(Here is a very rare prayer on Lord Shiva Composed by Goswami Thulasi das who wasthe author of Ramacharith Manas in Hindi a great Vaishnavite saint)Namam Meesana nirvana roopam,Vibhum vyapakam Brahma Veda swaroopam,Nijam nirgunam nirvikalpam nireeham,Chidakasamaakasa vasam Bhajeham. 1(I salute your Eesana form bereft of everything,Who blesses, who has spread everywhere,Who the form of Brhamam is as described in Vedas,Who is true, who is property less, and who is everywhereWho does not have any differences ,And who is like a sky and resides in the divine cosmos, I pray him.)

Niraakara monkaara moolam thureeyam ,Giraa jnana gotheethamesam gireesam,Karalam maha kala kalam krupalam,Gunaa gara samsara param nathoham. 2(I salute that God who is without properties,Who is the source of the holy sound Om,Who is thureeya*, who is beyond sound, wisdom and senses.Who is the God of mountains, who is cruel,Who is the death to God of death , who is merciful,Who is beyond properties and the bridge to cross life.The fourth and most holy state of human beings.)Thushaaraadhi sankasa gowram gabheeram,Mano bhootha koti prabha sree sareeram,Sphuran mouli kallolini charu ganga,Lasaddala balendu kante bhujanga. 3(I salute that God who is more whiter ,Than the Himalayas and the conch,Who is majestic , whose shine ,Is superior to crores of god of love,On whose head is the holy Ganges with waves,Who wears the crescent on his forehead,And a serpent encircles his neck.)Chalath kundalam bru sunethram vishaalam,Prasannananam neela kandam dhayalam,Mugadheesa charmambaeam munda malam,Priyam shankaram sarva nadham bhajami. 4(I salute that God, with swinging ear globes,Who has broad clear eyes, , whose face is happy,Whose neck is blue, who is merciful,Who wears the lion’s skin and a garland of skulls,Who is God of all , loving and the destroyer.)Prachandam prakrushtam Prakalbham paresam,Akhandam ajam bhanu koti prakasam,Thraya soola nirmoolanam soola panim,Bhajeham bhavani pathim bhava gamyam. 5(I salute that God who is vehement,Who is superior , capable and divine,Who is limitless, who is not born,Who has the luster of billions of Suns,Who holds the trident , who completely destroys,Who holds the spear, who is consort of Parvathi,And who goes in to the state of divine.)Kalatheetha kalyani kalpanthakari,Sada sajjananda datha purari,Chidananda sandoha mohapahari,Praseeda praseeda prabho mamamadhari. 6(Oh Lord you are beyond time and ages,You are the blissful and one who destroys ,This world at the end of the eons,You are the one who gives happiness to the good,You are the destroyer of the three cities,You are the Lord who grants us all,Eternal bliss and destroy wrong passions,And Oh killer of God of love, be pleased, be pleased.)Na yavad Umanada padaravindam ,Bhajantheeha loke pare vaa naraanaam,Na thath sukham shanthi santhapa nasam,Praseedha prabho Sarva bhoothadhivasam. 7(Till one does not pray the lotus like feet ,Of Lord Shiva, men would not get pleasure,Peace and freedom from all sorrowsIn this world or in the next world,So please bless me God who lives in all beings.)Na janami yogam , japam , naiva poojaam,Nathoham sada sarvadha Shambhu thubhyam,Jara janma dukhogha thathpyamanam,Prabho pahi aapannamameesa Shambho. 8(I do not know Yoga , chanting nor worship,But I am always your devotee , Oh Shambho,I being surrounded by old age , birth and sorrows,Oh Lord Oh Shambo please save me from these dangers.)Rudhrashtakamidham proktham Viprena hara thoshaye,Ye padanthi naraa bhakthya thesham Shambhu praseedathi.(This octet on Rudhra has been ,Composed by a Brahmin to please the Lord,And the man who reads this with devotion,Would be blessed by the Lord Shambhu.)Ithi Sri Goswami Thulasi dasa krutham Sri Rudhrashtakam sampoornam.Thus ends The octet on Rudra, composed by Goswami Thulasidas